Hello Readers!
It’s time to make the October recommendations for the 2016 Reading Challenge!
I have a confession: Scary is not really my thing. You see, I have an overactive imagination that has blessed and plagued me my whole life. Whenever I see an image, or imagine one, it sticks with me. That is why I can’t watch scary movies (nightmares for years to come!). It is also why I tend not to read very many scary stories.
However, this month’s challenge is all about the scary. You can define scary however you would like–horror, suspense, or just pleasantly creepy. The choice is up to you!
Here are a few books you might enjoy for:
October’s Reading Challenge: Something Scary
Classic Horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I love the story of how Mary Shelley came to write this novel almost as much as I love the novel itself. As a young 19 year-old woman, Mary Shelley, her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and others were on vacation in Geneva. Lord Byron proposed a story contest–a horror story contest. The result? Only the one of the most widely read and most easily recognized scary novels of all time.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
You have seen the movies, the off-shoots, the copycats, and the merchandising, but have you read the original? When I read this book a few years ago, I did have to sleep with the lights on, but it was worth it!
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The classic story of a science experiment gone wrong. Is the monster really within?
The Complete Stories of Edgar Allen Poe
If you haven’t read “A Cask of Amontillado” or “The Tell-Tale Heart” yet, pull out some Poe and curl up with a blanket tonight. Seriously.
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
The story’s narrator is a young woman brought into a wealthy and glamorous lifestyle after her recent marriage to her new husband. Her dream of a happy life is soon tainted by the long shadow of her husband’s first wife–Rebecca. Rebecca’s malevolent spirit seems to haunt the marriage and the house, in its attempt to lead the new bride to a horrible fate.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Murder on the moors, a ghostly creature, intrigue. Though I just include The Hound of the Baskervilles (a short novella that you could read in a day), please know that I really mean to recommend all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. If you, like me, are a fan of the recent television series Sherlock, read the originals while waiting impatiently for the next season to come out!
Young Adult Literature
Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
If you (or your teen) love to be scared, the Lockwood & Co series is for them. Lockwood, Lucy, and George are teenage ghost hunters trying to contain The Problem–violent ghosts which have plagued London for years. In the first book of the series, The Screaming Staircase, they solve a centuries old mystery with their wits and bravery. See my full review for more details!
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Seventeen-year-old Cassie has an innate ability to piece together clues of behavior, appearance, and environment to understand people and predict their actions. Her natural ability has caught the attention of the FBI, which is starting a new program for young people called “naturals” who can help them solve cold cases. Soon Cassie realizes, however, that she and the other naturals may become a serial killer’s next target. This thriller is a combination of Criminal Minds and Pretty Little Liars. I would recommend it for adults and high school students.
The Wreckers by Iain Lawrence
I’m in the process of reading a bunch of scary, middle-school appropriate books right now that I can recommend to my students. Middle schoolers are intrigued, you might even say obsessed, with the frightening and grotesque. I am enjoying Lawrence’s The Wreckers and its balance of suspense and thrill without being overly graphic or bloody. A good read for grades 6-8.
On My Nightstand
This month I want to read:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I am excited to read another book by this author of “The Lottery” and We Have Always Lived in the Castle!
The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
This is the fourth installment in the Lockwood and Co series, which I have been eagerly awaiting. I will probably finish it in one night–though it may involve staying up WAY past my bedtime. 🙂
What will you be reading this month?
(This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting The Orthodox Mama.)
